"So, this is the magnificent Winter Palace? Hmm. I figured it would be bigger."

Herah quirked an eyebrow at Dorian who simply shrugged. The Winter Palace seemed more gaudy than beautiful. Every color imaginable was painted somewhere on the palace. Gold drapery surrounded the massive building, along with people of all sorts. Herah noted that the servants were all elven, their masks simple unlike the others. The guest wore giant dresses with jewels and lace, along with the same masks but with too much feathers and glitter. Sweet, melodic music drifted into the courtyard, but it was ruined by the abundant amount of talking. It's was as if they were in love with their own voices. They had arrived at the party just moments ago, standing out worse than a dragon surrounded by Nugs. Every head turned to see the Inquisition in person. Instead of seeing dashing heroes of Thedas, their eyes rested on an awkward Qunari, a slightly grimy and improper Elf, a grumpy Seeker, and a Tevinter mage with swagger. The guest looked as if they had been backhanded. Whispers hung in the air, some more crude than others. Herah could see the disgust in their eyes. A Qunari was to be their savior. How wonderful.

Sera seemed just as pissed. A permanent scowl clung to her face and she shot glares towards the crowd. Cassandra looked a bit out of place but didn't try to hide it. Dorian, on the other hand, smiled and waved as if Tevinter mages were normal to see. The outfits were hot and uncomfortable. When Leliana and Josephine came into her room with the red and gold costume in hand, Herah almost backed out. Unsurprisingly, they threatened to put her in a dress if she didn't cooperate.

So there they were, standing at the front gates with Gaspard, another reason why they drew so much attention. Hera had the urge to take Sera's hand for comfort but she knew better. The guest had enough reasons to gawk at her. Sera seemed to feel the same way. Her insults were just loud enough to be carried over the music.

"Stupid friggin nobles, big hat wearing sons of b-"

"Sera. Behave." Herah interrupted.

She grumbled but kept her insults inside her head. Dorian chuckled.

Herah studied the entrance. There were more doors surrounding the main entryway, hidden slightly in the shadows. She tried the first door, only to find it locked. The guest ignored her and continued their gossip. Herah looked to the nearest group. A tall, slender framed man with a hooked nose stood near a short, pudgy women with rings on every one of her fingers. Both of them were whispering furiously.

"How preposterous! Lady Menzella must catch on sooner or later."

"Indeed. It's not as if her husband is discreet with his nightly activities."

"I heard his head chef tried getting friendly with his daughter-"

"Umm. Excuse me I-"

The man with this hook nose shot Herah a seething glare.

"Do you mind? Hmph. The nerve of some people."

He pushed past her with force, his lady friend waddling behind. Herah blinked, trying to process what had happened. Dorian shook his head.

"It appears if we wish to hear the latest gossip, we'll have to be discreet."

They left the door alone and continued on. Herah and the others made their way across the gardens, avoiding any more confrontation with guest. Herah took a deep break before stepping up to the shinning doors. They opened with ease, revealing a softly lit chamber with slick floors. Velvet couches were set against the walls for comfort. The music grew louder, muffled by another door that most likely led directly to the ballroom.

Herah sighted her advisors across the room. Cullen looked weary, trying to avoid conversation. Leliana, on the other hand, had a small smile on her lips. Her eyes seemed to point at the floor, at the guest and their feet. Herah noticed Josephine when a young woman caught her in an embrace. The girl had the same Antivan looks as Josephine, but with a more rounded face and softer features. Herah found it humorous to see the differences between them. She eventually moved away to investigate the rest of the room.

She stopped when she heard a harsh whisper from behind her. She glanced at the two dwarfs with hoods. The concern was clear in their voices. Dorian gave her a nod and walked off to an inconspicuous area. Herah tried to follow his lead, leaning against the wall. Sera and Cassanda looked confused at first but eventually caught on and went their own ways. She angled herself just enough to hear without looking attentive.

"Do you really think Brialla would go that far? Besides, it's obvious Gaspard is close to cornering the Empress. Why risk revealing herself now?"

"Shh! Brialla has informants everywhere. You know the servants watch for her. You never know who is listening."

Herah tensed as their eyes skirted across the room. Surprisingly, they looked past her without any knowledge of her eavesdropping. She let out a gust of air and relaxed. No one told her that recon duty was part of the job. Dorian, Sera, and Cassandra met up with her seconds later.

Dorian faked a look of shock. "The Elven maiden is up to no good? Impossible! The citizens of Orlais are never treacherous."

Cassandra glared." I'm sure the same goes for the magisters of Tevinter."

"We need to focus." Herah sighed. "We don't have very many leads. Brialla's spies are worth investigating, If we don't figure out who is working with Corypheus, then we lose Orlais."

Cassandra shook her head. "The assassination attempt isn't the only threat. The court's approval is just as important and twice the challenge."

Herah sighed again, putting a hand to her forehead. Nothing was ever easy. She though of Karaas and the rest of her family. It was always easy then. The goal was always clear; kill and don't get killed. Now, everything was a mess with no clear solution. She had the urge to grab onto Sera again but Herah stepped back just in time. She took a few steps back to resist the feeling. Sera noticed but didn't ask. She cleared her throat to address the team.

"We all know what to do right?"

They nodded with grim faces.

Herah sucked in a breath. "Well. Let's get started."

Sera pushed past the bustling servants who regarded her with the same attitude. After making quite the scene in the Ballroom, Herah sent her off on her own to snoop around. She tried not to think about the danger. Not that Herah couldn't take care of herself, But Sera knew how cold nobles could be.

"If they even tried to hurt Herah, then I'll bite their shins" she whispered to herself with a smile. She walked with a bit more enthusiasm. A group of people sidestepped out of her way with annoyance. Sera heard them whispering as she turned away.

"To think they let scum like that walk in these halls."

Sera hissed a string of curse words through her teeth as she skidded around the corner. She passed by another group of people who stood in a close knit circled. Their eyes met hers for a brief second, then they turned and giggled. Sera glared and walked faster. It wasn't the first time that she was treated as trash. Orlesians weren't used to elves drinking with them instead of serving the drinks. She thought back to when Herah was at her side. Each time a guest would sneer at her or wrinkle their nose in disgust, Herah would glance at Sera with an air of unease, then look away. As if it pained her to be seen in public. Herah had never done something by like that before. She didn't shy away when people from the Inquisition asked about their so called "love". And it wasn't just the looks either. Herah had been keeping her distance from Sera, more than necessary. More people strolled by, staring unashamed, whispering just like everyone else.

"You shouldn't complain about your wife, Ser Menzella. You could of had a woman that looks like that." They laughed as the man pointed to Sera who growled. They only laughed harder as she bared her teeth.

She kept going until their voices faded into the distance. She though about all the hatred she had received from everyone. Then her mind focused back on Herah and her strange behavior.

Sera stopped dead in her tracks. Her throat constricted as she tried to connect the dots.

Herah is embarrassed by her.

Her heart felt wounded as she gasped for air. Could Herah really feel insulted to be with an elf? Sera never had an issue with racism before. The Red Jenny didn't care about race, and she always wandered alone. Not to mention that Sera didn't think of herself as an elf. It never crossed her mind that Herah would feel uncomfortable with their relationship. It never seemed to matter at Haven or at Skyhold or anywhere. So why did it matter now?

She glanced back at the all of the people moving around her. They kept switching subjects to find something more exciting. Sera waited for them to start talking about her and Herah. Did they even know about their relationship?

She shook her head. Sera never complained about being seen with a Qunari so why should Herah? She sighed. Sera never cared about what other people thought, but Herah changed that. When she'd come around, Sera felt the need to be next to her. Which wasn't like Sera at all. Sera was independent, she never needed anyone but herself. Now, all she can do is think about Herah.

Love friggin sucks worse than The Breech.

Sera let out a frustrated snarl and kicked the nearest wall. She hated herself for falling in love. She continued to kick the wall until she was sure her foot was broken. Unfortunately she didn't think about the fact that she had to walk for the rest of the night. Her steady pace slowed until she was practically shuffling from the pain. Even so, she continued to drag herself down the hallway without care. She came to a halt when two voices cut through her thoughts. She stumbled and fell against a marble statue as soon as a pair of elven servants made their way into the room.

"Well? Who did it?"

"Don't know. Whoever killed those Tevinter assassins, they've vanished."

"Hmph. Just you wait, somehow we'll get blamed for letting those beasts get into the Royal Mansion. I just know it.

They shared a few more words before dispersing. Sera waited, her breath stilled. She didn't move for what seemed like hours. Finally, she stood.

Herah needs this information. Surely she could make some use of it, even if the assassins are already gone. Herah needs this info if she wants to get out of here. Even if she doesn't deserve it. But Sera would deal with that later.

And with that in mind, Sera ran.